Washing machine



Sept. 29, 1925. 1,555,114

C. P. GUDEKUNST WASHI NG MACHINE.

Filed June 50. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 29, 1925. I 1,555,114

c. P. GUDEKUNST WASHING IAOHINE Files June 30, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 29, 1925.

t] STATES PATENT OFFICE...

WASHING MACHINE.

Application filed June 30, 1924. Serial No.-723,145.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES P. Gunn- KUNS'I, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Washing Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present invention relates broadly to washing machines, and more particularly to clothes washing machines operating through the pressure of steam generated in a relatively confined body of water for effecting the cleaning operation.

It has heretofore been proposed in the art to which my invention relates to construct steam washing machines utilizing a movable drum, adapted to contain the clothes to be cleaned together with a plurality of substantially vertically arranged tubes communicating with a water space below the drum and adapted upon the generation of steam to direct streams of cleaning fluid into the drum, both from the sides and from the top thereof. I have found that streams directed against the drum in this manner tend to compact the clothes within the drum and prevent the effective penetration of the cleaning fluid.

In a washing machine of this character it is essential to direct the cleaning streams against the clothes in such manner as to insure an effective passage of the streams through the clothes in intimate contact with all parts thereof. To this end I provide a perforate drum in combination with discharge pipes having their outlet openings arranged to direct the streams of cleaning fluid longitudinally of the cleaning drum and at such angles that the clothes in falling through the drum, during its rotation, are dropped through the cleaning streams without compacting, thereby insuring penetration therethrough of the cleaning streams. By this operation I am enabled to effectively remove all traces of grease and dirt from all parts of the clothes being cleaned.

I have also found that it is necessary to provide in combination with an apparatus of this character means to insure the passage of the water through the discharge tubes, whereby circulation can only take place in a predetermined direct-ion. In order to accomplish this, I provide a return conduit discharging into a trap, whereby the flow of water through said trap may take place in a predetermined direction upon relief of the pressure of the water in the container into which it discharges.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional view of a washing machine embodying a preferred form of my invention;

Figure 2 is a section on the line II-II of Figure 1; V

Figure 3 is a plan view of the perforate drum;

Figure 4: is a section of the screw plug and trap constituting the return conduit;

Figure 5 is a detail of a portion of the driving shaft for the drum;

Figure 6 is adetail sectional view on a larger scale, the section being taken on the line VIV I of Figure 3;

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view on a larger scale, illustrating the construction of the upper end of the container and of the cover therefor;

Figure 8 is a detail sectionalview, illustrating the construction of the lower portion of the container;

Figure 9 is a sectional view of one of the ribs within the drum;

Figure 10 is a view, partly in section and partly broken away, of one of the discharge tubes; and

Figure 11 is a section on the line XI-XI of Figure 10.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention 2 represents a container which is preferably constructed ofshee-t metal. This container is of rectangular form in horizontal section and is mounted upon legs 3. These legs are provided with lugs 41; which support a horizontal plate 5. This plate may have a gas burner 6 mounted thereon for heating the cleaning fluid and converting the same into steam.

Within the container is a perforate drum 7 mounted for rotation on a horizontal axis. By reference particularly to Figure 6, it

will be seen that the cylindrical and end portions 8 and 9 of the drum are formed of wire mesh material clamped between outer and inner annular angles 10 and 11 at the ends of the drum. These outer and inner angles may be secured to each other in clamping relation by suitable means, such as bolts 1.2. Each end of the drum is reinforced by a diametrically extending flat bar 13. These bars carry short trunnions 14 and 15, whereby the drum is journaled in the container. The drum is provided in its cylindrical portion with a door 16 extending substantially the full length of the drum. This door is hinged at one of its longitudinal edges to the dOOr frame 17 and at its opposite longitudinal edge is provided with fastening bolts 18. The fastening bolts extend through eyes 19 carried by the door adjacent its ends and are pivotally connected at their inner ends to an operating lever 20 provided wit-h a handle 21. By turning the operating lever into the position shown in Figure 3, the outer ends of the bolts may be projected through eyes 22 on the door frame.

The end walls of the container are reinforced by horizontal flat bars 23 and 24 which are secured in any suitable manner to the inner faces of these end walls. The bar 23 has an inwardly projecting lug 25 at its central portion forming an open bearing for the trunnion 14. Extending through the bar 24 is an operating shaft 26, as shown in detail in Figure 5. This shaft has an enlarged inner end portion 27 in which is provided a rectangular socket 28 to receive the rectangular portion 29 on the end of the trunnion 15. This shaft extends through a stuffing box 30 secured to the outer face of the end wall of the container. A driving pinion 31 may be mounted on the outer end of the shaft whereby the drum may be driven by a motor.

The drum is provided on its interior with a series of longitudinally extending ribs 32. The construction of these ribs will be more apparent by reference to Figure 9. The ribs are V shape in cross section and have their longitudinal edge portions bent outwardly and then folded in upon themselves to form edge portions 33 of double thickness. These doubled edge portions are secured to the inner angles 11 at the ends of the drum. As the drum is rotated, the clothes within the same are caught by these ribs and are carried upwardly towards the top of the drum and then permitted to fall vertically to the bottom of the drum to be again caught by the ribs and carried to the top of the drum. By reason of the inwardly folding edge portions of the ribs, they do not present any sharp edges to engage and tear the clothes.

The container is provided with a false bottom 34 positioned a slight distance below the drum. Below this false bottom is a chamber 35 for the cleaning fluid formed by a separate sheet metal member 36 constituting the bottom of the container 2 and having vertical end and side walls 37 which form continuations of the end and side walls of the container. The manner of securing the bottom 36 and the false bottom 34 to the lower end of the container is illustrated in detail in Figure 8. The vertical walls 37 of the bottom 36 have an outwardly extending flange 38 at their upper edges and the end and side walls of the container 2 have a similar flange 39 at their lower edges. The false bottom extends between these flanges and the flange 39 as an integral extension 40 which is bent inwardly under the flange 38. The edge portions of the false bottom are thus firmly clamped between the flanges 38 and 39. These parts may be permanently united, as by welding, to form a fluid-tight joint.

The false bottom has discharge tubes 41 extending upwardly therefrom and communicating at their lower ends with the chamber 35. These tubes are arranged between the perforate ends of the drum and the end walls of the container. Any desirable number of tubes may be provided but .in the illustrated example of my invention I have shown two tubes opposite each end of the drum, the two tubes at each end of the drum being positioned on opposite sides of the axis of rotation of the drum and at substantially equal distance from such axis. Referring to Fig ures 10 and 11, it will be seen that each tube comprises an enlarged bottom portion 42 extending upwardly from the false bottom 34 and having a socket portion at its upper end to receive the lower end portion of the tube proper 41, the latter being detachably secured to its bottom portion by a pin and bayonet slot connection 43. The portion 42 of each tube is substantially rectangular in every horizontal cross sect-ion thereof and has a width substantially equal to the diameter of the tube proper 41. However, the length of the portion 42 at its lower end is consider ably in excess of this diameter. This provides a chamber 44 at the lower end. of each tube '41 of gradually diminishing cross section from bottom to top. I have found in actual practice that a chamber shaped in this manner will operate very efficiently. Each tub 41 is provided with openings 45 which are arranged to direct the streams of clean ing fluid longitudinally of the drum but in different horizontal directions, as will be more apparent by reference of Figure 11. In this manner the streams of cleaning fluid are distributed to all portions of the drum.

The false bottom is provided at its central portion with a return conduit which in the construction shown comprises a metal plug 46 hai-ving screw threads 47 pressed in its periphery for cooperation with screw threads pressed in a the plug L6 is a tube flange 48 depending from the Depending from the bottom of as. This tube projects through the top of a trap 50 which is secured to the tube. An opening 51 is provided in the top. of the trap through which the fluid flows from the trap back into the chamber 85. The plug 46 may be provided with a suitable handle 52.

The container 2 is provided with a removable cover 53 having a handle 54. T his cover may be formed of a single piece of sheet metal having its edge portions bent back upon themselves to form edge portions 55 of double thickness. These edge portions are adapted to rest upon the horizontal flanges of angles 56 secured to the side and end walls of the container at their upper edges. The edge portions 55 have integrally depending flanges 57 formed by bending the metal of the edge portions downwardly and then back upon itself to form depending flanges of false bottom.

i doubl thickness. These flanges have a snug sliding fit with the side and end walls of the container.

The bottom 86 of the container slopes towards its center and a drain cook 58 is provided in one of the walls 37 of the bottom adjacent its lowest point.

In operating this washing machine, a suflicieut quantity of water containing soap or other cleaning material will be put into the container to fill the chamber 35 and the bottom portion of the container above the false bottom to a height such that the lower portion of the drum will be submerged in the fluid as the drum rotates. When the cleaning fluid is heated to a suflicient degree it will rise in the tubes 41 and streams of the fluid will be projected through the perforate ends of the drum so that the clothes in falling through the drum during its rotation will drop through these cleaning streams without the latter having any tendency to compact the clothes. The cleaning fluid will thus penetrate to all port-ions of the clothes and it is possible to effectively clean the same. The trap in the return conduit insures a circulation of the cleaning fluid in one direction only, namely, from the chamber 35 through the discharge pipes 41 and then back to the chamber through the return conduit.

While T have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention. it will be understood that changes may be made in the construction and operation disclosed without departing from the spirt of the invention or scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a washing machine, a container, a drum mounted in said container for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, said drum having perforate end portions spaced from the end walls of the container, water delivery tubes extending upwardly in I with a plurality of delivery stantially spaced from the the space between the ends of said drum and the ends of the container and provided openings subperforate ends of the drum, said openings being arranged to direct streams of water through said drum longitudinally thereof and substantially parallel to the axis of rotation, and means for producing a circulation of water under pressure into said tubes for continuous discharge therefrom into the drum longitudinally thereof both above and below its axis of rotation, substantially as described.

2. In a washing machine, a container, a drum mounted in said container for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, said drum having reticulated side and end walls with the end walls spaced from the end walls of the container, and means having discharge orifices spaced from the reticulated end walls of the drum and arranged both above and below the axis of rotation thereof for continuously discharging streams of cleaning water into'the drum lengthwise thereof during its rotation, substantially as described.

3. In a washing machine, a container, a drum mounted in said container for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, said drum being adapted to receive the material to be washed and having reticulated side and end walls with the end walls spaced from the end walls of the container, spaced tubes projecting upwardly from the lower portion of the container between the ends of the drum and the adjacent walls of the container, said tubes projecting above the axis of rotation of the container and having a plurality of discharge openings therein for directing streams of cleaning water into the container longitudinally thereof both above and below the axis of rotation, and means for insuring the passage of cleaning water into said tubes during the operation of the machine, substantially as described.

4:. In a washing machine, a container, a drum mounted in said container for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, said drum being adapted to receive the material to be washed and having reticulated side and end walls with the end walls spaced from the end walls of the container, spaced tubes projecting upwardly from the lower portion of the container between the ends of the drum and the adjacent Walls of the container, said tubes projecting above the axis of rotation of the container and having a plurality of discharge openings therein for directing streams of cleaning water into the container longitudinally thereof both above and below the axis of rotation, and means for insuring the passage of cleaning water into said tubes during the operation of the machine, each of said tubes having a lower end portion substantially rectangular in every horizontal section and tapering from its lower end toward its upper end, substantially as described.

5. In a Washing machine, a container, a drum mounted therein for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, said drum having reticulated end walls spaced from the adjacent Walls of the container, and means spaced from the end Walls of the druno for delivering streams of cleaning fluid into and throu gh' the drum substantially longitudinallythereof, at 'l east some of said streams passing through the drum above its axis of rotation, substantially as described. i

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

" CHARLES P. GUDEKUNST. 

